Re Discovery
by HeroR
Summary: Sabo has return, but not all the Strawhats are happy about it and confronts him about why he was absent from Luffy's life until now. Sequel to Perchance to Dream and Mist of Memories.


**Here it is, my first One Piece story since _Mist of Memories_. Hard to believe that is has been over two years since I wrote and updated that story. It feels almost a lifetime ago with all the new events that has happened in One Piece.**

 **Anyway, this story is a promised I made long ago that I would cover the events of Sabo's return within the 'canon' of my stories, namely _Perchance to Dream_ and _Mist of Memories_. I meant to write this awhile ago after the Sabo's Adventure chapter, but I was too lazy to do it and I was writing Dragon Ball stories. Hopefully, it was worth the wait despite its short length.**

 **Now to the story.**

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 **Re-Discovery**

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It was all so strange to him. Before him stood a man that he thought was long dead. A man that Luffy had called his brother, not by blood but by choice, and thought was lost when a World Noble murdered him out at sea. Yet, here he stood in the middle of the old cabin where his captain and most of his crew slept. It was a reunion right out of some sappy fairytale. Or a dream….

"Robin, there's no need to wake him. I just came to see his face one last time," Sabo said as he stopped Robin from waking their snoring captain. Even if Robin wanted to, he heavily doubted Luffy would wake up for anything, even food.

The man known as Sabo he looked down at his brother's peaceful face that was covered in bandages.

He had utterly worn himself out fighting Doflamingo, the Warlord who was once king of this country not even 24 hours ago. To think, a mere Warlord could still give them such trouble even after all their training and preparing for the New World. Unlike Moriah who became soft and lazy after he lost his crew and Crocodile while smart and clever with his Devil Fruit ability was no brawler, Doflamingo proved himself to be both cunning and a physical powerhouse. If they had fought Doflamingo two years ago...no doubt it would have been a crushing defeat or a victory so bitter that it wouldn't have been worth it.

It took the efforts of Traffy, a former Warlord himself, Luffy, and an entire band of misfits to take the bastard and his crew down. In Traffy's case, he nearly lost his arm. As for Luffy...he had to do something dangerous again which undoubtedly impacted his health. To say Chopper wouldn't be happy would be an understatement. He was already angst about Luffy losing ten years of his life at Impel Down and driving himself into a near-death coma during the War of the Best. It was becoming a wonder even to him how much Luffy's body could take at the rate he was going. Couldn't he come up with techniques that weren't so harsh on his body?

And this was just the beginning of the New World. Doflamingo and his crew, no matter how powerful they were, was still just a crew of a Warlord. The he Four Emperors who ruled these seas, were _way_ above him.

It made him both excited and scared to think such monsters still existed in the world. And he knew Luffy felt the same. If Luffy wanted to be the Pirate King, he had to go through the Emperors, which included his mentor and the bastard who betrayed his brother. Still...he wished Luffy could do so without using his life as firewood.

"Are you leaving Dressrosa already?" Robin asked in surprised.

Sabo nodded in confirmation. "CP0 have turned back and are heading for Dressrosa again. They are after us... Within a day or two, Dressrosa going to become a hectic place. You guys should also set sail as soon as possible."

"Never mind that," Zoro interrupted as he guzzled down the liquor Sabo gave him. Even if this man brought him booze, he still had a lot of explaining to do. His sudden outburst caught Sabo off-guard. "All this time, you've been alive, yet you never contacted Luffy not once." He glared at the Revolutionary before turning his eye towards Robin. "And you knew. You knew who Sabo was the entire time, yet said nothing."

Sabo looked at Robin in confusion. "Did Luffy tell you about me?"

"Not directly," Robin answered slowly before sighing. She put her hand on her forehand. "It will take some time to explain."

Sabo frowned when he heard this. He was short on time, but he knew that this was something he needed to hear, especially with the way Luffy's swordsman kept glaring at him like he wanted to gut him. The cyborg Franky also didn't seem too please with him given the judgmental look in his one good eye. Something happened. Something really bad.

"Please, take your time," Sabo said as he took a seat on Luffy's bed, careful not to wake him.

For the next half an hour, Robin told Sabo about the events with Toby, his Dream Fruit, and the incident at the mist island just days ago. While Sabo remained quiet the entire time, there was no hiding the horrified expression on his face.

Zoro took some comfort seeing that. Sabo now knew the depths Luffy had suffered over these last few weeks. Being forced to relived his worst memories and left to wonder what could have been if Sabo had 'lived' past the day he was 'murdered'. He also now understood how him suddenly being back in Luffy's life has impacted his mental health, which the crew had been slowly working on.

There was a long silence once Robin finished her explanation.

"I...I never knew..." Sabo whispered before looking at Luffy, who remained blissfully asleep aware of nothing. "I...I never thought he suffered in such a way. To think...Luffy could be pushed to the point of wanting to kill himself..." He didn't think such a thing was even possible. Luffy was such a ball of life filled with dreams and hope that he never believed that anything could rob him of that. He balled his fists and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. "Luffy...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. If only I was there..."

"Robin, why didn't you tell us about Sabo?" Franky asked, turning towards the archaeologist. "You could have at least told Luffy what happened to him. It would have gone a long way in his healing process. We may have even avoided the entire incident at that island."

"I was not sure if it was the same Sabo," Robin answered softly, lowering her head. Her voice was filled with regret. "I noticed the resemblance when we saw Luffy's version of Sabo in his dream, but I could not believe that the Sabo I knew would have never contacted Luffy or try to save Ace given how close they were. If it was not Luffy's Sabo, I did not want to cause Luffy more needless pain. I was going to confront Sabo about this if I saw him again."

Franky nodded in understanding. It would have broken Luffy to be giving false hope again. He would have acted the same in Robin's position.

"You are right. If I was the Sabo from back in Goa, I would have rushed to Luffy and Ace's side years ago," Sabo said, tearing his eyes off his brother. "I would have never let them believed I was dead all this time."

"So why didn't you?" Zoro asked, harsher than he meant to.

Sabo sighed. "I had amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Franky repeated in disbelief.

"I know it sounds like a bad cliché, but that's exactly what happened," Sabo said before he chuckled humorlessly. "After I was attacked by that Celestial Dragon I couldn't remember anything, not even my own name. The only thing I knew for certain was that I didn't want to go back to my parents no matter what. I begged the Revolutionaries to take me away. I didn't care where." He shook his head. "It's sad that I could remember the abused of parents over the love of my brothers."

"It's understandable," Robin spoke up. "Horrible memories and feelings are the easiest to remember."

Sabo lowered his head. "Does not make it more right."

"But you were lucky that Luffy's father found you," Franky noted, trying to raised Sabo's mood. "I assume he was there when your boat got shot."

"Yeah. By some divine luck, Dragon was at the ceremony when the Celestial Dragons shot my ship and he saved me when I was about to drown. After they nurse me back to health, Dragon and the others took care of me." He looked at his gloved hand. "Fighting came easy to me to the point that I was in the top of my class. I guess a part of me still remembered all my training with Luffy and Ace. Eventually, I rose in the ranks to become Dragon's number two."

Franky whistled. "Impressive, but it's expected from Luffy and Ace's brother. I guess things went well for you despite not having any memories. Still, I bet you happy to have them back."

"It was Ace that made me remember," Sabo whispered, getting everyone's attention. "Like the rest of the world, we got news of Whitebeard's defeat at Marineford. Ace's name, who was listed among the dead, caught my attention. However, it was seeing his picture in the newspaper that brought back my memories." He lowered his head and looked like he was about to cry again. "The memories came flooding back with such intensity that I actually lost consciousness for three days and had a fever."

Franky shook his head. "What a horrible way to get your memories back. To just remember your brother just as he died."

"Since that day, I have been filled with regret," Sabo spoke softly. "I wonder everyday if I could have changed anything if I remembered. If I could have saved Ace...if Luffy was okay since he went missing after the war and no one knew if he was alive or dead. Was he emotionally okay since he saw our brother die... I was so relieved when I read about his return to Marineford. For a horrible moment, I thought I lost him too..." He lifted his head and stared at each of the Strawhats. "And...I owe a great debt to all of you. One that I can never repay. If you weren't there for him... Thank you for keeping him alive. Thank you for giving him a reason to live." He bowed his head towards the Strawhats.

Franky was sobbing from Sabo's words while Robin had some tears in her eyes. Zoro remained stoic, but he too was moved.

"Think nothing of it," Zoro finally said. "We're apart of his family now too. We would never let anything happened to him. If anything, _we're_ the one who failed to protect him." He felt his animosity towards Sabo fade at that moment.

He wanted to hate the man. Hate him for abandoning Luffy and Ace. Hate him for not mounting a rescue the moment he heard of Ace's capture and eventual execution. Hate him for not rushing to Luffy's side when he was crying in despair on Amazon Lily. Hate him for being part of the reason why Luffy lost his will to live.

But now...he couldn't feel that way anymore, not even a little. Sabo had suffered too. He has been suffering the same guilt and regret that has plagued Luffy for over two years. The wondering if something could have been different.

Except, in some ways, Sabo got it worse. He only remembered _because_ Ace died. Unlike Luffy who could at least gained some measure of peace knowing that he did everything within his power to save his brother, Sabo was forever left with the question if he could have done anything. With his power and the full force of the Revolutionaries at his side, he probably could have saved Ace, which probably made Sabo feel even guiltier.

All around, there was no one to blame here. Only victims. Victims torn apart by the world and the system the government created. Perhaps he should be satisfied that after all Luffy's suffering that he had something of a happy ending. That...he was truly someone's little brother again.

"You guys telling me everything that has happened to Luffy...it now makes sense why Luffy kept thinking I was a dream or an illusion when he first saw me at the colosseum. He kept refusing to believe that I was real and pinched himself several times," Sabo shook his head. "I'm surprised that he was as sane as he was. If it was me, I would have thought I have gone nuts."

Robin looked at her former commander. "You should not feel guilty about what happened. Even if you knew, you could have never reached Marineford in time."

Sabo chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice. "That is what Koala and the others keeps telling me. But...it doesn't make it easier. After Ace's death, I had dreams about all the ways I could have saved him." He looked at his hand again. "Me gaining his Devil Fruit was the only way I could make amends towards him. Especially when I heard Blackbeard wanted it."

Zoro growled when he heard that name. He was happy to hear that cowardly bastard was denied gaining Ace's Devil Fruit and not tarnishing his memory any further. As much as he never wanted an ability, he would eat the damn thing himself to deny Blackbeard the pleasure.

"Hey, you can't let your guilt get to you," Franky said before glancing at Luffy. "We nearly lost our captain because he couldn't let go of the past. The only way to make peace with what happened is to accept that it isn't your fault and to forgive yourself. Beating yourself into self-pity won't make things better. For you or for Luffy. Take it from someone who spent ten years trapped in guilt."

Zoro nodded. "You and Luffy have something that almost never happens. A second chance. You can't waste that precious time with guilt. You both have lived the life that Ace can't. As long as you two go on living, Ace's spirit will never disappear."

Sabo smiled. "Yes, you're right. I said I wouldn't live in regret anymore and here I am moping again. I suppose time doesn't completely heal all wounds." He put his hand on Luffy's head and stroked his hair. Luffy hummed peacefully in his sleep and leaned into his brother's touch.

Zoro couldn't help noting that this was the most comfortable he had seen Luffy in days.

"You're right. We have a second chance. But...neither of us can take it at the moment." Sabo sighed in regret. "I have a duty to fulfill to the Revolutionaries and Luffy...he has to go and become the Pirate King. At the moment, we walk two different paths."

"I am certain our paths will meet again," Robin said with absolute certainty. "Something tells me that in the near future we will reached the same cross point."

Sabo stood up. "I am certain of that too." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large sheet of paper and handed it to Zoro. "This vivre card is for Luffy. I went ahead and made one."

This confused Zoro. "When did you get the time to..."

"I'm taken a piece for myself," Sabo interrupted as he tore a small piece of the paper off. "And well...I can only imagine what it is like trying to keep the reigns on Luffy, but...I'm leaving him in your hands. I know it's a lot to ask, but please continue to take care of him and heal the wounds that me and Ace created."

Franky smiled with tears in his eyes. "Don't worry about it. He's in good hands"

Zoro chuckled when he heard those words. "That's almost the exact same thing Ace said to us."

Sabo returned the chuckle. "I bet. While Ace was always harsh on Luffy, he was also very protective of him." He felt his eyes become glossy. "Although, I never imagined it would reached the point that it did."

He started to walk out of the cabin, careful not to walk anyone.

"Wait!" Zoro suddenly exclaimed, stopping the Revolutionary in his tracks. "I know what you do is extremely dangerous, but you better take care of yourself." He glared at Sabo, almost like he was trying to pierce him with his good eye. "If _anything_ happens to you, I will _never_ forgive you."

Sabo was taken aback for a second, but understood where the swordsman was coming from.

Luffy thought he was dead all this time. For over two years, Luffy fully believed that all his precious brothers were dead and that fact torn him apart. Now, he was back and he didn't want to think of the emotional agony Luffy would be in if he went and die on him, especially in his somewhat fragile mental state. He feared that it would shatter Luffy completely to the point that not even his crew could bring him back.

He certainly wouldn't forgive himself and he was certain Ace would beat his butt in the afterlife.

"Of course," he answered. "I have no intention of dying. Dying once was bad enough, after all," he added with some humor before he left.

"Man, I wished he would have at least stuck around until Luffy woke up," Franky said as he kept repairing his eye. "I mean, with everything that's been happening they had no time to bond and catch up. Being around Sabo would also make Luffy feel better."

Robin sighed. "It really cannot be help. As Sabo said, CP0 is returning and Dressrosa will become unsafe for all of us. As soon as Luffy is well, we need to leave. We also have to meet up with Sanji and the others." She paused in thought. "And...Sabo may be afraid if he did stay with Luffy too long, he wouldn't want to leave."

"I'm sure we will see him again," Zoro said as he continued to stare at the door. "If he dies before then, I will personally go to hell and drag him back here myself to make him apologized to Luffy."

Through it all, Luffy continued to sleep, at peace for the first time in years that he had at least one of his brothers back. And this time, it wasn't a dream.

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 **The shortest story I have written on this site, but I think it works out for the best to keep things short and sweet. Although, I do regret that half of the Strawhats were missing for the reunion. It would have had more impact for this story, but it is what it is. Thanks for reading and until next story.**


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